Improvement in check-rein holders



J. 4#Nr.wuou & E. A. DRAGO. 'i cneckmin- Holders.

Patented-1an. 19,1875.

Inl

my@ m M J/mj 'UivITED STATES Frio JOHN W. WOOD AND EDWARD A. DRAGO, OF VALPARAISO, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CHECK-REIN HO-LDERS.

Specification formingpari of Letters Patent No. l, dated Jaruary 19,1875;

application iled April 4, 1874.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, JOHN W.` WOOD and EDWARD A. DRAGO, of Valparaiso, in the county of Porter and State of Indiana, have invented an Improvement in Check-Rein Holders, of which the following is a specification:

The nature of the present invention consists, irst, in theY employment of a loop or bar, combined with the spring-cylinder, for the purpose of preventing the strap thereon from becoming detached if drawn out too far; second, in the novel construction of the attachment for holding the cylinder or case to the water-hook of the back-tree of the harness 5 third, in a stop so combined with the check-hook and fulcrum-pin on the case that the said hook may be turned on the fulcrnm-pin as a joint, and be opened and shut for attaching and detaching theoheck-rein; fourth, in the construction of the case, so arranged that one of its plates may be removed to set the spring-cylinder so as to give a stronger tension to the equalizing-strap, asthe whole is hereinafter fully described and shown.

In the draWings,Figure 1 is an elevation of our improvement in check-rein holders, with the face-plate removed to give a view of the internal parts, the water-hook fastener being a section. Fig. 2 is a view of the springcylinder, showing the loop or bar for holding the strap in place; Fig. 3, a plan view of the attachment for holding the case to the waterhook. Fig. Ashows the check-rein holder attached to the water-hook and check-rein of a horse.

The case is composed of two plates, A, Fig. l, one on each side of a rim, g.` One plate is fastened rigidly to the rim, and the other is removable for the purpose of setting the inside spring-cylinder, s o as to give the equalizing-strap d more or less spring-tension. The removable plate is held in place by means of short bolts e, pnt through eyes formed by coiling the ends of the rim g, and by a bolt, b, which also holds the attachment A to the case. lnsideof the main case is placeda spring case or cylinder, B, in which is coiled a spring for equalizing the strap d. The journal or post C, to which the inner end ofthe coil- .spring is attached, is formed with square ends fitting into square holes in both plates A, by means of which, by removing one ofthe said plates A, it can be turned and set farther round in the main case and thereby draw more firmly O11 the strap d. To fasten the strap d to the cylinder B, so asnotto becomedetached in case it should be drawn out too far, in addition to the ordinary catch or hook I, there is a loop or bar, E, put through ears D, projectin g out from the cylinder B, and the strap d is put under it, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

A rein-hook, H, is rigidly fastened to strap d,

and is so formed that its end will, by means of the spring-cylinder B, be drawn closely to the rim of the main case, and thus prevent a horse from becoming unchecked. The rivet which fastens the strap d to the hook H has its head Gr elongated transversely with the strap to form a stop to bear against a fulcrum, F, and turn on it as a joint, so that the said hook H may be operated as a snap-hook-that is, open and shut, as shown by dotted lines 00h-for the convenience of fastening and unfastening a check-rein. The fulcrum, as will be seen, is the end of the rim g, bent for the purpose of receiving the short bolt c, which holds the sides of the main case to the rim. This'arran gement is such that the strap d, by any unusual strain, will be drawn out and allow the check-rein attached to the hook H to ease upon the bit. We, however, do not claim v anything on that movement, as equalizers for that purpose have been before used. The means for attaching the main case to the water-hook Z consists of a strip of looped leather, c, fastened to the elongated ends of the sides of the main case A by means of a bolt, b. Fastened to this loop c and to the bolt b is another loop, J, held to the loop c by two loops, f f, and to the bolt b by a loop, a, formed by cutting slots through the leather J. The object of forming the fastener or attachment A in this manner is, by simple and cheap means, to provide a padding or soft substance to prevent Wearing off the plating of the water-hook Z, which would be the case were it not for the inner loop, J.

We are aware that yielding check-reinholders of various forms have been before used, as shown in the English patent of March l, 1809, No. 3,212, and the United States Patents to R. B. Robbins, May 14, 1872, and J. B. Baker, June 7, 1859, that cylinders have been combined with a strap Wound thereon, and that coil-springs have been used in cases with radial hooks; therefore, we do not claim, broadly, the devices thus shown, but confine ourselves to the construction and combination shown.

We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The main case A, provided with removable side, in combination with a spring cylinder-case, B, provided with a squareended post, G, and the rim g coiled round the bolts' e for setting the cylinder B, as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN W. WOOD.

p EDWARD A. DRAGO.

Witnesses: f

G. L. OHAPIN, J. H. ELLIOTT. 

